


Hard Decisions

by nanuk_dain



Series: Drift Compatible [26]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Operation Pitfall, Team Hot Dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 23:39:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2892356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanuk_dain/pseuds/nanuk_dain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The time to launch Operation Pitfall is approaching. They can all feel it like a dark shadow hanging over them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hard Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> This fic follows immediately after 'A Lesson Learned'. Basically it's the morning after XD Enjoy!

_Hong Kong Shatterdome, January 11th 2025_

 

Stacker awakes to the feeling of Herc's teeth gently nibbling on his neck and Herc's hand moving teasingly slow on his growing erection. Stacker doesn't bother to open his eyes, he just groans and pushes into the fist that's wrapped around him, then back against Herc's hard dick he can feel between his thighs. It's been a long time since they woke up together, since they could touch like this first thing in the morning. Stacker loves it and indulges in it without any shame. It's a rare pleasure, and he intends to make the most of the opportunity.

He feels Herc's approval of his intention over the ghost drift, feels his arousal, his desire, and it fuels his own even more. Herc's free hand wanders all over Stacker's body, over his chest, his stomach, his throat. He makes Stacker bend his head backwards until he can kiss him, long and deep and passionate. Stacker arches back into him, gives as good as he takes. He loves it when Herc takes the lead, when Stacker can just let go and trust Herc to take care of him.

Herc's hands never stops moving, one keeping up the slow rhythm on his erection, the other sliding down Stacker's back, trailing along his spine and then caressing his butt. Stacker lifts his leg to grant Herc better access, and only a second later the fingers are back, slick with lube and touching with clear intent. Stacker presses back into the touch, allows the pleasure to overtake his mind when the first finger enters him and hits his prostate with practised ease. 

Herc is biting his neck, just this side of too hard, and it makes Stacker's mind go blank. God, he loves Herc's rough side, loves to give in to it and take all the pleasure it has to give - not tender and gentle, but rough and demanding. Herc feels his arousal over the ghost drift as well as in his hand where Stacker's leaking erection is undeniable proof of his pleasure. Stacker doesn't bother to control the sounds that leave his mouth, deep groans and hoarse moans, and he feels how every sound pushes Herc higher. 

There's a second finger joining the first, scissoring and stretching him, still never forgetting to make him see stars. Herc knows what he likes, not only because of the ghost drift but because he _knows Stacker_ , his likes and dislikes as well as all his quirks. So he makes a point of bringing Stacker close to the edge again and again, just to ease off and restart the delicious torture. He keeps it up until he's satisfied that Stacker is loose and ready for him, until he has him writhing under his touch. Then Herc slides into him, slowly and almost teasingly, and Stacker doesn't bother to stifle the low groan he feels in his throat. He loves the feeling of Herc stretching him when he first enters him, it's one of his guilty pleasures that he never admitted out loud, but he knows Herc feels it over their connection every single time they make love.

Stacker presses back into Herc when he starts thrusting, their movements just as much in sync as the always are, and Stacker lets himself get carried higher and higher by the slow, teasing thrusts, by the constant stimulation of his prostate and Herc's hand on his erection. He loves feeling Herc's hot breath on his neck, hearing his moans and sharing his ecstasy over the ghost drift. It's intimate in a way he knows only perfect matches can ever understand. 

"Herc..." Stacker reaches back to pull Herc's head down to him, he wants to feel his lips, taste his mouth. Herc understands without words and follows Stacker's touch, leans in until their lips meet. He slips his tongue into Stacker's mouth in the same moment that he speeds up his thrusts, the grip of his hand tightening just enough to make Stacker twitch and groan with the sudden additional stimulation. Stacker lets go of his last bit of control and just _feels_ , his hips jerking to meet Herc's thrusts, his eyes closed in total bliss and his mouth open against Herc's, sharing his breath. 

Stacker feels Herc's orgasm build over the ghost drift, it loops back to him and fuels his own ecstasy. Their movements become frantic but are still amazingly in sync. It takes only a few more thrusts and Stacker is pushed over the edge. He arches his back, all his muscles tense and his entire body prickling with release. He feels Herc pulse inside him, filling him with his hot seed at the same time as he bites down on Stacker's shoulder with a barely suppressed groan. It's utterly satisfying, the burn adding to Stacker's pleasure, and he shakes with aftershocks when Herc gives his last thrusts.

Stacker's head sags down, his breathing is laboured and his mind pleasantly dazed with the slowly fading orgasm. Herc is plastered against his back, softening inside Stacker, the ghost drift alive with their pleasure, their satisfaction, their bond. He feels the rising and falling of Herc's chest in his back, the same rhythm as his own breathing, and they slowly calm down together, coming down from their high.

"The perfect way to begin the day." Stacker says with a lazy smile, his eyes still closed. 

Herc chuckles against his neck. "I agree. We should do it more often." 

"We definitely should." Stacker leans back against Herc's chest, enjoying the way he tightens his arms around him. "I'm hungry."

Herc kisses his shoulder, the same spot he bit when he came. "Let's get some breakfast, then."

It's still early, only shortly past six in the morning, and Stacker indulges in the fact that they still have the time to eat a leisurely breakfast together. It doesn't happen too often, and one of the advantages of having the Marshal's quarters is that there's a fully functional kitchen so that there's no need to go to the mess hall to get a coffee or something to eat.

Stacker gets up and goes to the bathroom before he joins Herc in the kitchen. The coffee machine is already running, the delicious aroma spreading through the room, and Herc is busy preparing bacon on toast for them. Stacker was never much of a cook, so he likes it a lot that Herc insists on his bacon and toast for breakfast. It means he gets some, too. 

"Smells good." Stacker remarks and presses a kiss to Herc's bare shoulder before he gets the mugs and plates out of the cupboard.

"Tastes good, too." Herc replies and turns the sizzling bacon around with the ease of years of practise. The coffee is about done when Herc puts the bacon on the toasts that Stacker made for them, then he turns to the coffee machine. 

"Stacks, what do you make of Chuck and Raleigh?" Herc asks while he pours them each a cup, and Stacker knows exactly what he's talking about. The shift in their attitude towards each other after their first drift couldn't be greater, and it's impossible to miss it. Their connection is at least as obvious as their inability to keep their hands to themselves when they're around each other.

"They're a perfect match, Herc." Stacker raises an eyebrow. "And you do realise that all perfect matches are couples, right? Either they were together before the official match or got together quite soon afterwards."

"It has come to my attention, yes." Herc replies with a dry chuckle. The Kaidanovskys are the only ones who were already a couple - married, even - before they were officially matched as pilots. 

"As for Chuck and Raleigh, you must have noticed that Chuck seems more at peace and is less... _unsocial_." Stacker remarks. It's an observation he's sure Herc made himself, too. "They're good together. Good for each other."

"Let's just hope that doesn't change." Herc replies with a sigh and sips on his coffee.

"It won't." Stacker replies because there's no doubt about it. "Relationships between drift partners, especially between perfect matches, are different. You know that." 

"I know." Herc smirks at Stacker, then he takes a bite of his toast. "I already talked to Raleigh."

Stacker snorts. He has a faint idea of how that conversation went. "Please tell me you didn't threaten to dismember him if he hurt Chuck? We still need him to make the run on the Breach."

Herc chuckles. "No, I told him I was sure he already knew that I'd make his life hell if he hurt Chuck."

"That makes it so much better." Stacker replies before he continues eating.

"Well, I also told him that I was sure he wouldn't hurt Chuck. Perfect match thing." Herc raises his mug to his mouth, but stops mid air and shakes his head in fond disbelief. "God, Stacks, you should have seen him watching Chuck. If I wasn't sure what they were up to before, I'd definitely know after that look. Especially considering that Chuck was wearing Raleigh's sweater."

That makes Stacker almost choke on his toast. "He did _what_?"

It must be a mistake - Chuck would never do something that... _cute_. Domestic. Openly affectionate. With Raleigh, of all people, whom he had wanted to kill just a day ago, a fact he has made clear to everybody who came across them. It's not that Stacker doubts that Chuck is capable of affection - he knows he is, because despite everything, Chuck is deeply loyal to those he loves, even if he does his best to pretend that he isn't. No, it's the fact that he so clearly shows his affection for Raleigh for the entire Shatterdome to see that has Stacker stare at Herc in disbelief. 

"He wore one of those sweaters Raleigh always runs around in." Herc repeats before he takes a sip of his coffee and puts the mug back down. "On top of that, they had switched their dog tag chains. Not on purpose, mind you - Raleigh actually blushed when I pointed it out to him. As if I didn't know what they're doing."

Stacker raises an eyebrow and smirks. "I think we both know quite well what they did in those hours between the simulator session and dinner. We would have done the same thing in their stead. Why do you think I gave them the rest of the day off?"

Herc shudders. "There are things I do _not_ want to imagine, Stacks. My son's love life is one of them. It's enough that I know they're together now, and that Raleigh is a good man who might actually be able to kick Chuck's arse when he deserves it."

Stacker smirks. "That sounds promising." 

"It sure does." Herc sighs and gets up to wash up his plate. "God knows I've never quite managed."

Stacker gets up and carries his own plate over to the sink. Herc takes it and washes it up as well while Stacker dries the dishes. "It's a hard thing to do when it concerns your own child. Especially given the circumstances."

"I know." Herc dries his hands on the tea towel. "That's no excuse, though. Sometimes I wonder how much of Chuck's jerk attitude is my fault."

"You may have had a part in it, but he's a grown man now, Herc, he knows what he's doing." Stacker replies honestly. "And didn't you tell me it was getting better?"

"Yeah, we're making an effort. I don't know what changed, but Chuck seems willing to try to get along better." Herc returns to the table and takes up his mug. "Maybe it's this perfect match thing. We have something in common now that we didn't have before." 

Stacker joins him at the table and brings the coffee pot with him to refill their mugs. "Maybe. We know it's a pretty powerful thing. And I guess that this deep connection with Raleigh has some influence on him. It's quite an important moment, that first drift with your perfect match."

"It is. It feels so amazing to fight together as one." Herc accepts the refill and drinks, quiet for a moment. "What do we do about Operation Pitfall, Stacks?"

Stacker holds his gaze. "Now that Mako is injured and can't pilot, there's only one option left."

"Yeah." Herc's mouth turns into a thin line. He knows what's coming. 

"You and I, we take Striker and the payload to the Breach. Chuck and Raleigh run defence for us in Gipsy." Herc says, almost in the exact words Stacker would have used himself. Herc has long since come to the same conclusion as him. "Neither the Weis nor the Kaidonovskys are in any condition to pilot. Neither is Mako. And the only drift compatible pairs are you and I, and Chuck and Raleigh."

Stacker nods. "And I know you don't want Chuck in the same Jaeger as the payload."

Herc sighs. "No, I definitely don't. I know it doesn't make much of a difference in the chance of survival on this specific mission, but I still don't want it."

"So _we'll_ deliver the bomb. Give the boys a chance to come back from this mission."

Herc is silent for a long minute, then he focusses his gaze on Stacker, his blue eyes sharp. "And you?"

Stacker knows that he's referring to his piloting a Jaeger, but decides to point out that it doesn't really make a difference. "I could ask you the same thing, Herc. We'll be in the same Jaeger."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Herc doesn't sound angry, instead he seems to be tired, weary. He knows they have to do the mission, and there's no doubt that they will. "Even if you and I were to survive the delivery - and everybody knows it's technically a suicide mission, just nobody says it aloud - and we'd get back here, the damage that piloting a Jaeger will do to you is unpredictable. Most likely it's going to kill you."

"Most likely." Stacker admits, because everything else would be a gross disrespect of what Herc means to him. He never lied to Herc, and he won't start doing so now. "But this is worth it, Herc." 

"I know." Herc gives him a stern gaze. "You are aware that I wouldn't let you do this if I wasn't going to be in the Conn-Pod with you, right?"

"Your dream?" Stacker asks although he knows. He felt it yesterday when Herc showed up on his doorstep, looking a lot like he had eleven years ago when Stacker had told him that his wife had been killed. The ghost drift had been brimming with barely suppressed pain, fear and loss, and the few pictures Stacker had got from Herc's dream had told him all he needed to know. 

"Yeah." Herc shudders involuntarily and for a second there's such a pained expression on his face that Stacker feels a shiver run down his back. "Let's just say that I will not allow it to become reality."

Stacker stands up and steps behind him, then he wraps his arms around his waist to pull him close. He's not sure if it's to comfort himself or Herc. "We'll do it together."

Herc leans against him and nods after a moment. "Works for me."

"Good." Stacker presses a kiss behind Herc's ear, then he steals Herc's coffee and takes a sip before he hands the mug back and sits down at his side of the table again. He can tell that Herc is still thinking about the mission and waits patiently for him to voice his thoughts.

"How sure are you that you'll be able to pilot? Shouldn't we do a test run?" Herc asks after a minute or two. 

"I fear we can't do a test run." Stacker replies. He has been thinking about the same thing for a while now. Ever since Mako was injured, in fact. "There's no way of telling if I'll manage to drift a second time. We will have to take the risk. It's the only chance we have."

Herc doesn't look happy with it, but he knows it's true. It's obvious that he doesn't like the entire idea, but there's no other way and they are both well aware of that. All pilots of Operation Pitfall most likely won't come back, and while Stacker knows that it bugs Herc to send Chuck out on a suicide mission, he also respects that Chuck would do it no matter what Herc told him. It's the man he is - he may behave like a jerk most of the time, but he will do what's right, no matter the cost. Like all the Rangers. It seems to be a trait necessary to do the job.

"Let's hope we'll manage to seal the Breach." Herc's voice is very quiet. "We won't be able to try again."

"Our final assault with everything we've got." Stacker takes a deep breath. What weighs on him most isn't the risk for himself, though. It's the worry about how Mako will deal, because she will be the one left behind. "I have to talk to Mako. I don't want to spring this on her when the others are around."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good. She will hate having to stay behind." Herc finishes his coffee and gets up. He quickly washes up his and Stacker's mug and puts them away. Stacker sits at his usual spot at the table, a frown on his face. He doesn't know how he can tell Mako without hurting her. He knows that she won't let it show how much it affects her, but with Stacker, Herc, Chuck and Raleigh on Operation Pitfall, she will lose all of the people that mean something to her. Stacker knows she would deal a lot better if she was fighting in a Conn-Pod with them, but her broken collarbone has very effectively put her out of commission. In a twisted way Stacker is glad that she won't be at the front line of this battle. He can't help it, he still wants her to be safe although he knows she's a grown woman now, and a very good Ranger who is perfectly capable to do her duty. 

Herc pulls him out of his musing when he steps up behind him and presses a kiss to his bare shoulder. "Want to share the shower?"

"Hmmm." Stacker closes his eyes and takes comfort in Herc's closeness. He knows that their time is running out. Who knows how long they have left before they have to attack the Breach.

He follows Herc into the bathroom and lets his boxer shorts join Herc's briefs on the floor. The warm water runs down his skin while Herc slowly washes Stacker's hair and body, his touch firm but soothing, and Stacker allows himself to enjoy every moment of it before he returns the favour. He loves to shower with Herc, it's a strangely intimate act that even over the years has never lost its appeal. 

When they're done, Herc borrows a pair of boxers and a fresh t-shirt from Stacker. He slips in his pants and boots and steals a last kiss, then he heads back to his own quarters to get ready for the day. Stacker gets dressed and is sitting in his office by seven o'clock, going through the never-ending paperwork that has accumulated on his desk.

At ten o'clock Stacker sends a message to Mako, asking her to come by his office. She knocks on the door only ten minutes later, wearing grease-stained J-Tech overalls. Even the sling for her arm is covered in grease. It's obvious that she's been working on one of the two remaining Jaegers.

"Sir?" She asks, standing at attention by deeply ingrained habit.

"Relax, Mako, this is not official business." Stacker says and comes out from behind his desk. He still isn't entirely sure how to tell her. She has lost so many loved ones in her young life, and he feels terrible for adding to it. And he's not just leaving her alone, he's also taking all her closest family and friends with him. Herc, Chuck, Raleigh. All of them.

She relaxes, but only a bit. It's her nature to stand straight and to be alert, it's not just training. 

"Sensei?" It's the shift in address as well as the expression on her face that tells Stacker that she knows something is wrong. 

"We have established the pilots for Operation Pitfall." Stacker begins and sees her getting tense immediately. "Chuck and Raleigh will take Gipsy Danger and run defence. Herc and I will pilot Striker Eureka and deliver the payload."

Her brows are pulled together and her lips are a thin line. It's her eyes that strike him most, though, because they're actually scared. He hasn't seen that in a very very long time. Still her voice is controlled when she speaks. "Getting back into a Jaeger will kill you." 

Stacker looks her in the eye, makes a point of letting her see that he hasn't taken this decision lightly. "Not getting into one will kill us all."

He can see that she knows that, understands it, but that doesn't make it any better. She doesn't want to lose him. He knows the feeling only too well, it's the same reason he was so reluctant to let her into a Jaeger in the first place.

"There are no pilots left, Mako. You, the Weis and the Kaidanovskys are still out of commission, and all other pilots are dead." Stacker keeps his voice gentle although the words he delivers are hard. "And we stand a better chance to successfully complete this mission with two perfect matches in the Conn-Pods."

"I understand." Mako drops her gaze, nodding slowly. When she looks up again, there's determination in her eyes. "I have to get back to my work, sensei. Permission to be dismissed?"

"Permission granted." Stacker replies quietly. She bows and turns around. Stacker watches her leave and stares at the door for a long time after she has vanished through it. He takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out again. She's up to something, he can tell, but he's not sure what it is.

It's almost noon when Stacker receives a rather agitated call from Dr Geiszler. He's still in Hong Kong City where he's been watching over the proceedings of the Kaiju offspring's preparation for his second drift experiment. He's talking a mile a minute and doesn't make too much sense, even to Stacker who's used to his unorthodox ways. In the middle of his ramblings the voice changes and it's Dr Gottlieb who takes over the phone. From Newton's indignant complaints in the background Stacker can tell that Gottlieb must have literally snatched the device out of his hand. 

"We have very important new information that you need to integrate into your planning, Marshal." His voice sounds excited as well as highly worried, and that's very unusual for Gottlieb. It gets Stacker's undivided attention immediately. "We will return to the Shatterdome within the hour and it would be best if we meet in our lab, Marshal."

"Agreed, Dr Gottlieb." Stacker replies and contacts LOCCENT as soon as the call ends. He has Tendo get the pilots for Operation Pitfall together so that all of them will hear what Gottlieb and Geiszler have to tell. It seemed rather important, and there's no need to prolong the chain of information - especially considering that they never know when they will have to attack. Stacker is sure it will happen soon.

An hour later Stacker listens to Gottlieb and Geiszler finishing each other's sentences while they're reporting the results of their second drift with a Kaiju. He's worried to learn that the thermonuclear bomb needs a Kaiju to actually get through the Breach, because that's a factor they can barely influence. It's hard enough to defeat a Kaiju, but to get it back into the Breach with a bomb seems almost impossible. They will try nevertheless. At least they know about this extra layer of security - Stacker doesn't even want to think about what would have happened if they had attacked the Breach without that knowledge. Maybe he owes Geiszler an apology.

Stacker stands close enough to Herc that he can feel his warmth, and it has the same calming effect on him that it always has. He can't help watching Raleigh and Chuck who're practically glued to each other's side, although they're professional and completely focussed on the matter at hand. It's the need to touch that is especially strong in the first few weeks after first drifting with your perfect match, Stacker still remembers how much effort it took him and Herc to hold back after their first night together. As long as it doesn't influence their performance - and Stacker knows that it won't - he doesn't have a problem with them touching in one subtle way or another as soon as they're in the same room.

"Sir." Raleigh is looking at Stacker with a mixture of curiosity and worry. "Who is going to pilot?"

"You and Mr Hansen will take Gipsy Danger." Stacker replies. He knows Raleigh is wondering about who is going to be Herc's co-pilot. "Herc and I will pilot Striker Eureka."

"Sir?" Gottlieb frowns. "Are you even drift compatible?"

Out of the corner of his eye Stacker sees Chuck suppress a smirk. Ah, so he knows. "We are. In fact, we're a perfect match."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Raleigh murmurs under his breath and Stacker holds back a chuckle. Now is not the time to let the mask of the PPDC Marshal slip. Not yet.

"We do not have the strength to keep another attack at bay, so we have to hit the Breach before there is one." Stacker reminds them. "We have to be ready to strike at any moment, gentlemen. Dismissed."

The preparations for Operation Pitfall have been running at full speed ever since the double event. It's important to get Striker and Gipsy to one hundred percent functionality as quickly as possible because there's no way of telling when they'll need to move out for Operation Pitfall. 

Nobody expected it to happen quite so quickly, though. 

It's just a day later, almost four days after the double event, when the Breach opens again and two signatures appear, hovering right above it. The appearance of the two Kaiju forces their hand. The PPDC doesn't have the capacity nor the Jaegers it will take to defend whatever city the Kaiju are going to hit once they start moving. With only Striker Eureka and Gipsy Danger left, they have to attack _now_ , before the Kaiju do. 

Stacker orders the crews to get the Jaegers ready for immediate deployment as soon as Tendo informs him of the appearance of the two Kaiju. Time has finally run out. 

He meets Herc in the drivesuit room where the techs suit them up with quick and practised movements. Only four minutes later they're down in the Jaeger bay, surrounded by PPDC personnel, Raleigh and Chuck among them, also in their drivesuits. Stacker steps onto a halfway dismantled foot of a Jaeger so that he can address the entire Shatterdome bay, and does his best to get them in high spirits. They will need it for the mission they're about to launch. It will be anything but easy.

Afterwards Stacker makes his way over to the lift and finds Mako waiting in the hallway, standing tall, her back straight and her shoulders squared. She's wearing her J-Tech overalls and there's a little black streak across her right cheekbone. She must have been working on the Jaegers to the very last minute. That's his girl, Stacker can't help thinking, she'll never give up. 

"Sensei." Mako bows when he approaches her. There's an uncharacteristic stiffness to the gesture that tells him that she's holding back her feelings, trying to be strong and responsible. It makes his heart clench, because they both know this is good-bye, and Stacker knows he'll regret it forever if he doesn't make Mako understand how much she means to him. She's his daughter, his family, and he won't let his position as Marshal stand in the way of showing her that. He knows he won't get another chance.

Stacker reaches out, touches his hand to her cheek and makes her look up. He smiles at her, real and heartfelt, because he wants, no, _needs_ her to know that she's loved, that he's proud of her and that ever since she came to live with him, she has brightened his life. "You're a brave girl. I'm so lucky to have seen you grow." 

Her eyes are glistering with unshed tears, but she doesn't say a thing, still standing straight.

"If I'm going to do this, I need you to carry on for me here." Stacker can read all the hurt in her eyes at the knowledge that she will not see him again. There's a single tear running down her cheek now, and it makes Stacker's insides clench to know that he caused her that pain. "Can you do that?"

Mako presses her lips together, never breaking their gaze, and nods. She's brave and loyal and so incredibly strong, and Stacker is so proud of the woman she has become. He pulls her into an embrace, the first one in years, and he feels her uninjured arm wrap around his waist in a tight grip. He presses a kiss on the top of her head and says so quietly that only she can hear it, "I'm proud of you, Mako."

She tightens her arm around him for a second, lets him know how much it means to her without saying a word. Stacker lets go of her and gives her a last smile. She straightens and visibly pulls herself together until she's the composed Ranger he's seen so often. She'll make do.

Stacker turns to the elevator and waits inside for Herc who has just said goodbye to Chuck. Stacker watches Mako say something to Herc, and he pulls her into a spontaneous bear hug before he ruffles her hair in the way he did when she was a young girl. She smiles involuntarily and it makes Stacker feel warm all over. She knows they love her.

Stacker isn't surprised to see Raleigh pull Mako into a heartfelt hug too, but he has to admit that he didn't expect Chuck to do the same. Then Raleigh and Chuck turn and walk in the direction of Gipsy's bay, their movements in sync in a way that's typical for perfect matches. They disappear out of view just as Herc steps into the elevator. The doors close and Stacker turns to Herc at the same moment as Herc turns to him. They don't need words to communicate, they both know that this is their very last opportunity to touch each other. Once they're strapped into their harnesses, that's it. So Stacker leans in and touches his lips to Herc's, a slow and deep kiss that Herc returns with equal passion. The bulky drivesuits are a bit of a hindrance, but Stacker still melts into Herc's embrace, wanting to feel him for one last time. 

It takes not even half a minute for the cabin to rise to the level of Striker's Conn-Pod, and by the time the doors open, Herc and Stacker are standing next to each other, their posture perfectly straight. Only their slightly swollen lips betray what they just did. 

There are J-Techs inside the Conn-Pod, waiting to establish the connection between the drivesuits and the harnesses. Stacker walks up to the left side while Herc takes the right. There's a thrill somewhere low in Stacker's stomach, coming from being inside a Conn-Pod again, feeling the sheer mass of the powerful Jaeger around him and Herc's presence beside him. He never expected to pilot again, and it's just now that he realises how much he missed it. 

The techs leave as soon as their work is done, and Stacker hears the massive door close behind them, then the hissing sound tells him that it's sealed. The screens flicker to life all around them and Stacker easily falls into the routine of pre-launch checks.

"LOCCENT, Conn-Pod door is sealed." Herc report over the comms.

"Copy that. Striker, ready to initiate neural handshake?" It's Tendo, and he sounds just the tiniest bit nervous. He's well aware that this moment is crucial - nobody knows if Stacker will actually be able to hold a steady drift or if the neural load will overtax his brain.

Stacker catches Herc's eyes. He can feel his excitement, his anticipation as well as his worry over the ghost drift, and he feels the same emotions inside himself. But now that they're so close, he craves the drift with Herc so much that he doesn't hesitate to reach out for the comm to reply. "LOCCENT, we're ready."

"Engaging pilot to pilot protocol now. Initiation of neural handshake in fifteen seconds." Tendo informs them and begins to count down. 

Stacker is still looking at Herc. He can't wait to feel him inside his head again, the strong, precise connection that's the drift, so much clearer than the ghost drift they have shared ever since their first neural handshake. 

"Three..." 

A wave of warmth wraps around Stacker, and he smiles at Herc. They both know how dangerous this can be, but now it's too late to worry.

"...two... " 

Stacker straightens, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, preparing for the connection.

"...one."

And suddenly it's back, that rush of emotions, of thoughts, of feelings, of _Herc_. It feels so good, so incredibly good, he doesn't have the words to describe it. He feels whole again, and only now does he realise how much he missed that feeling, that _completeness_ , in those past nine years.

They don't need any words, their minds are one, their thoughts are one, _they_ are one. For a moment Stacker can't even bring himself to care that this drift will destroy him, that the neural load will deep-fry his brain, he just knows that he never wants to miss it again. He feels Herc's overwhelmed pleasure, his complete bliss at being one with Stacker again, and it echoes inside him, a loop that never stops.

 _I missed you so much._ Stacker sends over the drift and feels Herc smile. It's so intense that he wants to revel in it forever.

 _So did I_. The words are as clear as if Herc had said them aloud. _God, it feels so good to have you in my head again, Stacks._

Stacker lets all his barriers, all his mental shields come down to show Herc everything he had wanted to share with him ever since the Tokyo. He needs Herc to truly understand how much their road trip through Australia meant to him, how important it was in defining the course of his life. He needs Herc to feel why he got the tattoo and how much it means to him that Herc got his name under his skin. There's so much he wants to share, almost ten years of it, and he's at the same time spellbound by all the things Herc shows him, lets him experience. 

It's one of the most intense moments of his life. Stacker knows that no matter what it'll do to him, the chance to drift with Herc again is worth it.

"Striker, your neural handshake is at one hundred per cent, nice and strong." Tendo's voice cuts in, and the relief is plain in it. Tendo knew how big the risk was, that they couldn't tell if Stacker had a problem maintaining the drift until they tried it. If he had, it would have happened during the initiation, though, and since it didn't, they're good to go.

"Striker, Jumphawks are ready for extraction."

The whole Jaeger shudders when the massive cables pull tight and the Jumphawks slowly lift Striker Eureka out of the bay. Stacker feels Herc's mind in his, merged, complete, one. Their connection is brimming with all the memories they're exchanging, and Stacker turns to smile at him. Herc catches his gaze immediately and smiles back, the real, lopsided smile that Stacker loves so much.

It doesn't matter if they come back from this mission or not, as long as they'll do it together.

**Author's Note:**

> You'd make my day with a wee comment. Sooooo much ^^


End file.
